nature in the womb of the blessed Virgin Mary, so that the two natures, human and divine, inseparably united into one person, constitute one Christ, who is true God and man." 3. "That since the fall of Adam all men, who are naturally engendered, are born with a depraved nature, that is, without the fear of God, or confidence towards him, but with sinful propensities." 4. "That the Son of God truly suffered, was crucified, died, and was buried, that he might reconcile the Father to us, and be a sacrifice not only for original sin, but also for all the actual sins of men. That he also sanctifies those who believe in him, by sending into their hearts the Holy Spirit, who governs, consoles, quickens, and defends them against the devil and the power of sin." 5. "That men cannot be justified before God by their own strength, merits, or works; but that they are justified gratuitously, for Christ's sake through faith." 6. “That this faith must bring forth good fruits; and that it is our duty to perform those good works which God commanded, because he has enjoined them, and not in the expectation of thereby meriting justification before him." 7. "That in order that we may obtain this faith the ministerial office has been instituted, whose members are to preach the gospel, and administer the sacraments (viz. Baptism and the Lord's Supper). For through the instrumentality of the word and sacraments as means of grace, the Holy Spirit is given, who in his own time and place, produces faith in those who hear the gospel message, viz. that God for Christ's sake, and not on account of any merit in us, justifies those who believe in Christ." 8. "That at the end of the world Christ will appear for judgment; that he will raise all the dead; that he will give to the pious and elect eternal life and endless joys, but will condemn wicked men and devils to be punished without end." FORMS OF WORSHIP AND CHURCH ORDER. In her rites of worship the Lutheran Church in Europe employs liturgies, "differing in minor points, but agreeing in essentials," similar to those of the Protestant Episcopal Church, except in extension, being not more than one third as long. In this country, a short uniform liturgy has been adopted, the use of which, however, is left to the option and discretion of each minister, as "he may deem most conducive to edification." The festivals of Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, the Ascension, and Whitsunday, are retained and observed in the Lutheran Church as commemorative of the "fundamental facts of the Christian religion," and for the purpose of leading her clergy to preach annually on the events which they severally represent. 66 She also maintains the institution of infant church membership and baptism, and in connexion with it, the rite of confirmation. And, as from the beginning, so now, she extends her parental care and vigilance over the religious education of her baptized children. regarded as the duty of every minister occasionally to convene the children of each congregation for instruction in the catechism. Annually, also, and if necessary oftener, the minister holds a series of meetings with those who are applicants for admission to sacramental communion, or, as in reference to the infant baptism of the applicant, it is called confirmation, and for all who feel a concern for their salvation." Every succeeding meeting is occupied in conversational lectures on experimental religion, and in examination of the catechumen on the fundamental doctrines and duties of religion, as contained in the Bible and Luther's Catechism." "At the close of these meetings, which are continued through from six to twelve weeks, once or twice each week, and in the last, if convenient, daily, the church council are convened to examine the catechumens on their qualifications for sacramental communion." "Although in the hands of an unconverted minister, this duty, like all others, will be mere formality, and attended with little profit, yet we have never met, nor do we expect to meet, a pious minister, who faithfully practised this system, who did not regard it as a most blessed and successful method of bringing souls to Christ."* It is not surprising that the earliest reformers should be slow to abolish every vestige and form of Romanism to which they had been so long and so zealously attached. Luther, after he had begun to see the extent of its corruptions, and to expose them, did not at once tear himself away from the church in which he had been nurtured, but suffered long and much before he renounced the jurisdiction of the Pontiff. His immediate followers also retained for several years many of their ancient superstitions, as exorcism in baptism, the wafer in the Lord's Supper, and private confession. These, however, especially in the United States, have been expurgated even in form, from the Lutheran Church. The last mentioned, (private confession,) it ought to be observed, as retained by the Lutherans, had no affinity to the vile principles and practice of the Romish confessional, viz.: that to Portraiture, page 31. the priest, as to God's vicegerent, all the secret thoughts and feelings, as well as actions, must be detailed, in order to obtain pardon; and that the priest has power to dispense such pardon. But the Reformers had established what they deemed a necessary custom preparatory to communion, that of a private interview between the pastor and each communicant, in which the latter gave an account of his religious experience, trials, hopes, &c., for the purpose of receiving such counsel and instruction as his peculiar state of mind and heart might require. This practice they injudiciously denominated confession. "But even this custom has been almost entirely abandoned in this country, and the preparation for communion consists in a public preparatory discourse, public and united confession of sins, and.rehearsal. of the promises of divine mercy; similar to the preparatory exercises of other churches; except, that, as in the Episcopal Church, they are generally conducted according to a form." Respecting the order of the church, Dr. Mosheim says, "The government of the Lutheran Church seems equally removed from Episcopacy on the one hand, and from Presbyterianism on the other, if we except the kingdoms of Sweden and Denmark, which retain the form of ecclesiastical government that preceded the Reformation, purged indeed from the superstitions and abuses that rendered it so odious." Dr. Maclaine (the translator) adds, "The Archbishop of Upsal is primate of Sweden, and the only archbishop among the Lutherans ;" and his "revenues do not amount to more than £400 yearly, while those of the bishops are proportionably small."* Yet even in those kingdoms where the Lutheran is the established church, and where she retains nominal bishops, she discards, as she ever has done, the "divine right" of ministerial imparity as antiscriptural; holding, with her great founder, and with all her standard writers, that in the primitive church the terms bishop and presbyter were but different names for the same office. Hence Luther himself, though merely a presbyter, was in the habit of ordaining ministers, and took a part in that ceremony, without the assistance of a prelate, only a few days previous to his death. But the Reformers deemed it expedient, as promotive of order and harmony in the churches, to introduce some diversity and subordination among their clergy in rank and duty, under the titles superintendents and seniors, and in Sweden and Denmark, bishops. "In the United States," says Professor Schmucker, "entire parity is maintained, and even the nominal office of Senior Ministerii is retained by only one out of all our Eccl. Hist. vol. iii. pp. 211, 212. + See Life of Luther by Justus Jonas. synods." "Although our ministers are strenuous advocates of parity, they pretty extensively favour the idea of returning to the use of the word bishop in its scriptural sense, as applicable to every minister of the gospel; the sense in which, as Luke informs us, (Acts xx. 28,) instead of one bishop having oversight over a large district of country or diocese, there were several bishops in the one city Ephesus." "In this country, the Lutheran Church, in common with her Protestant sister churches, deprecates, as unwarranted and dangerous, all interference of civil government in religious affairs, excepting the mere protection of all denominations and all individuals in the unrestricted right to worship in any and every way they think proper."* The validity of Luther's ordination as a presbyter in the Church of Rome, has sometimes been questioned, because of the corruptions which destroyed her title to the standing of a Christian church. But when Luther received ordination from the hands of the Romish hierarchy, the corruptions which branded that church as Antichrist, had not been formally and officially adopted; nor were they, until enacted into the essential features of her system, and made integral parts of her prescribed formularies of faith by the Council of Trent, A. D. 1542. And when she excommunicated the Reformer, and thundered her anathemas against him, he had previously renounced her jurisdiction, by burning her standard works and the Bull of her Pontiff. His ordination, therefore, and that of all his Protestant successors, is as valid as that of the Romish priesthood at the beginning of the sixteenth century; i. e. he was ordained by ministers properly accredited at the time of its performance. With regard to the subject of ordination in general, our Lutheran brethren, in common with most other Protestants, understand the various Greek words employed by the sacred writers to express it, to mean simply induction into office-an appointing to the particular duties of the ministry by a prescribed form, to preserve the sacred office from indiscriminate and of course unworthy usurpation; utterly discarding the Romish superstition that by the "laying on of hands" some mystic influence is imparted by apostolic succession. They maintain, therefore, that as in the only three instances of ordination after the time of our Saviour, mentioned in the New Testament, the rite was performed not by one man, called a "diocesan bishop," but by several persons; [as that of Barnabas and Saul by Simeon, Lucius, and Manaen (Acts xiii. 3); that of the presbyters or elders of the churches in Iconium, Lystra, Antioch, &c., by Paul and Barnabas (Acts xiv. 23); and that of * Quarterly Register. Timothy by the hands of the eldership or presbytery (1 Tim. iv. 14);] and as in other cases, individual ministers, as Timothy and Titus, were directed to induct or appoint others: they regard ordination as valid when performed in either way, whether they who perform it be called bishops, presbyters, ministers, or pastors.* And in cases of necessity, they further maintain, that a minister may be set apart and constituted by the laity themselves. "As to the doctrine of Papal apostolic succession," Dr. Schmucker very justly remarks, "it is a mere figment, and can never be proved by the Papists themselves. To say nothing of their doctrine of intention, which, Cardinal Bellarmine himself asserts, renders doubtful the validity of every Romish sacrament, (Bellarm. Lib. Just. cap. 8,) where was their Papal succession when Liberius, the occupant of the Holy See, professed Arianism, A. D. 357? Where was it in the fourteenth century, during the so called great western schism, from A. D. 1378 to 1414, when two different lines of contending Pontiffs reigned simultaneously, each having a portion of the church adhering to him; each excommunicating the other; and finally both deposed as heretical by the Council of Pisa, in 1409?"+ We have thus traced, in as brief and comprehensive a form as was consistent with our limits and the nature of the subject, the history, progress, and present state of the Lutheran Church, especially as planted on our own soil. To quote once more the language of her advocate, who has been our authority and guide in most of these statements: "She may be emphatically styled the Church of the Reformation. She holds the grand doctrines of Christianity with fewer appended peculiarities than most other denominations. With the Calvinist she holds the graciousness of salvation; with the Congregationalist she believes that Christ tasted death for every man; with the Methodist she approves of regularly recurring protracted meetings; with the Episcopalian she occasionally employs a liturgy and forms of prayer; with the German Reformed she agrees in the instruction and confirmation of catechumens; and with all she unites in ascribing all the glory of our privileges on earth and hopes in heaven, to that Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world." In closing this sketch, we would congratulate our Lutheran brethren on the past and present indications that they share the smiles of Him who is King in Zion, and whose favour is life. In reviewing * Portraiture of Lutheranism; Appendix, on Ordination. + Quarterly Register. + Portraiture, p. 17. |